Bongotime, Mendip, Somerset (Bristol)

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Another adventure out in The Bongo, still not named it!

Day 1. Mendip Hills

This time off to Somerset to stay over in the Mendip Hills, staying at Brook Lodge Farm Campsite and with a plan to drop the Bongo back to the garage, JCS (SW) LTD, to have a few issues that were there from purchase, they were good and agreed to fix all issues if returning in the first 3 months.

“Issues: Roof had a gap at the top right, folding mirror didn’t fold and a screw was missing from the steering column, all sorted on the Monday so no complaints with JCS in Bristol, JCS (SW) LTD: Company number 09589353 for anyone looking at a Bongo”

Onto the fun bit, the drive through Jane Austin country was easy, lovely woodlands and small villages with nice pubs are all around as we make our way westward, the journey took around 3 hours end to end so pretty good going for a 150-mile drive.

We got checked in at the campsite, roof up and a chilled beer from the fridge later and we head off to little Blagdon lake which is a few miles away down some country lanes, it’s a bit of risky walk through public bridal ways and dangerous roads to get to the lake.

Blagdon lake, bit of a weird one, it’s beautiful but deadly, its covered in blue green algae warnings advising you not to drink and don’t swim in the lake! It’s some sort of invasive species of toxic algae that can kill you, not one for a swim then...!

A walk around the danger lake and we find a nice local independent pub, the Queen Adelaide and partake in a local ale, Butcombe Original, not a bad ale with a great view from the beer garden.

We decided to make our way to the next local place of interest, a pub, Plume of Feathers. We start our death march down the road, no pavements and lots of blind corners, scary to say the least!

On making it to the safe zone, next to a small brook and views up the valley, a local asks if it was us walking down the road, he passed comment that there are public bridal ways and you can walk through the fields, not that there are any signs for such conveniences!?

A lovely evening spent at the Plume of Feathers, chilling outside, chatting to “local”, local people, they insist you can walk through the fields to get home, just watch the bull in the field opposite they say… ok we reply…

Food was good, Pizza and Burger so staying classy at this one, all about the health on holiday, right…

Sun’s coming down and it’s time to walk back, about 1.5 miles, not too bad, armed with the local knowledge that we CAN go through the farmers’ fields we head through a heard of cows and over into a corn field… this corn field has no exit… so, I make a hold through a hedge to get to the adjacent field… same again, no exit… another hedge, another hole, this time we find a gate in the opposite corners, it’s all a bit “Signs” (the movie) so we decide to get back on the road, not before Helen falls flat on here arse whilst trying to film me running through the corn!

Off the road and into another field, we think we are heading the right way now, this field got sheep in it and no distinct path to exit the bridal way… after a bit of wondering around looking for an exit we spy a lady on the other side of the next field, we head that way thinking the exit must be there… we get close and ask where the exit is and get a very grumpy reply from the farmer who manages the public bridal way, she’d actually put a locked gate at the entrance and mentioned something about it’s her lively hood, not sure what us walking across the filed is doing to her livelihood, but, she was a moody mere so who knows…

Back at the campsite and ready to chill in the bongo, we test out the drop down tv and stick a movie on, War of the Worlds and a beer on the downstairs bed, 20 minutes in and we’re both asleep...! Time to hit the hay and move upstairs to bed ?




Day 2. Bristol

After a good night sleep, we skip breakie and head to Bristol to drop the Bongo off and have an explore.

Some annoyances at the garage, firstly, no one around, when we finally found someone, they didn’t know we were coming, and the owner wasn’t in till later… I left it with the guy to fix what they had agreed to do and got a taxi to Bristol Expressway in a bit of a mood.

Bristol bound, we decide to grab some breakfast down at the quay edge in a nice little coffee shop, Bristol seems very quiet for such a large city, some 700’000+ people here, a little less than Brighton but the City is about 6 times as big.

Plan in place we follow the river down past the SS Great Britain and the edgy part of town to the Bond buildings. We decide to take in the pop-up Mind museum that was on display, some very hauntings imagery and artwork on display. Good deed done we make a slow meander following the river Avon towards the Brunel Clifton suspension bridge across the Avon.

Amazing views and a hell of walk up a high gradient hill to get there, Clifton is clearly an affluent area, private school, huge Victorian style gated homes with leafy parks at most corners, I like it!

Next stop is an explore around the look out tower and we spy Bristol zoo, looks amazing but one for next time. The views across the valley towards Somerset are amazing and the history of how the bridge was built is well worth looking into, Brunell, sadly didn't live to see it completed but it's another amazing piece of structual engineering.

We get a call early afternoon and it's good news on the Bongo, all issues sorted and ready to collect, so, we head back into town to grab some food before we collect the moveable home.

So what did we think of Bristol, we both really liked it as a city, really green, lots on offer without the manic busyness that you get in London.

Bongo all sorted, we’re all fed on some delish Asian-fusion soup and start the drive home, adventure 2 is over but lots more to come!

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